BRATISLAVA, February 14, (WEBNOVINY) – Last year’s collapse of the government is also an evidence that Slovakia wants to be part of the European community and avoid being labeled a black hole on Europe’s map, according to Prime Minister Iveta Radicova. “We, too, have paid the highest price to prove responsible behavior and confirm our place in Europe, where we still are an active and responsible player and partner,” Radicova said in her speech at the Review Conference on the Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava.
Radicova noticed that people in Slovakia as well as in foreign countries protest against governments that adopt unpopular austerity measures. Her Cabinet called for solutions and more stringent budget rules at the Council of Europe a year ago. Based on the data released by Eurostat, Slovakia posted the lowest general government debt in proportion to GDP in Q3 2011 and achieved the most significant deficit reduction from 8 to 4.6 percent. “I would like to emphasize that besides these unpopular measures, we started one of the most dynamic employment growths,” Radicova stated, adding that some 50,000 jobs were created in her era.
In his address at the conference, President Ivan Gasparovic pointed out that to be objective one had to admit that Slovakia was an unpredictable partner last year. The European Union is an important issue and in spite of the crises, Slovakia, too, benefits from the principle of solidarity, he maintained.
SITA